Toyota Invests Over $375,000 in New Flying Car

When we were kids, our imaginations readily wandered to a world filled with jetpacks, holograms and flying cars. Maybe it was the cartoon, The Jetsons, to blame, but for 30 Toyota employees, achieving that futuristic technology has been their sole focus since 2012. That’s when these Toyota employees came together to form the team, “Cartivator”. Today, they have set the goal of developing the world’s first flying car by 2020, so it can be showcased at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when it lights the Olympic Flame. To help make this a reality, Toyota has invested over $375,000 in support of the project.

Over the past six years, Cartivator has been hard at work developing the world’s first flying car, which they’ve named SkyDrive. Before Toyota invested $375,000 into the project, Cartivator accessed online crowdfunding to raise finances for its endeavors. Working out of a repurposed building in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, these Toyota employees have built a flying car prototype that seats one and can fly about 100 kmph at an altitude of 10 meters. From here, Cartivator hopes to have a successful test flight of SkyDrive by 2018 so it can be fully engineered and produced for a grand reveal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Like Takeshi Uchiyamada, Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, says, “Things will not progress if you wait and provide money only when the technology is ready.” So we wish team Cartivator the best of luck in this project!

If you want to test-drive a Toyota on the ground, visit us at Central Maine Toyota. We have a stellar selection of new and used Toyota vehicles, so we’re confident we’ll find the right one for you and your lifestyle!